1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical image processing apparatus and a medical image processing method for processing the reliability of each portion in a three-dimensional surface model generated from a two-dimensional image.
2. Description of the Related Art
An endoscopic image obtained by an endoscope inserted in a body cavity is widely used for diagnosis of an observed region. The endoscopic image obtained by the endoscope is a two-dimensional image. Therefore, there is an apparatus for creating a three-dimensional surface model from the obtained image information and displaying the created surface model to provide image information from which diagnosis can be made more easily, for example, like a conventional example disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 08-252217.
When a three-dimensional surface model is created and displayed as described above, the image makes it easier to make a diagnosis in comparison with a two-dimensional endoscopic image.
In the case of the inside of a body cavity, especially in the case of a lumen shape, when there are folds or protrusions in the lumen portion, the positions behind the folds or the projections cannot be seen from the position to be an observation point (that is, the observation window).